The Client
by Typewriterman
Summary: Many things decide our everyday actions some in our control, while some are not. Our actions have a profound effect on the world around us...and those worlds parallel to ours as well, whether we realize it or not...
1. Chapter 1

Hope you like what I've set out to show!

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**_The Client..._**

Laying around on a Saturday morning, without any worries about school, or work, or even spirits! Not a care at all…the only thing that made this better for the raven haired teenager was the ever so sweet and cute girl laying next to him, one arm wrapped around his while the other was draped over his bare chest.

It was what he wanted more than anything else in the world…apparently she had just gotten out of the shower, his long haired princess, as it happened to be wet, but he didn't care; the wet scaly feeling on his chest felt wonderful…wait a minute…

"Himawari…chan?" The bespectacled boy curiously asked out loud. Glancing downwards, he yelped instantly at the dead eyes of a fish staring back up. "Whaaaaagh!!!"

--

**XxxHolic **

--

"Watanuki's awake!" chirped a squeaky voice. Bouncing about, the small black creature hopped out of the room, leaving the shrieking boy to flout about on the hard topped floor.

"Watanuki's break-dancing!" "Watanuki's break-dancing!" two young voices sang out simultaneously. The door to the kitchen opened further, allowing two girls to start circling around the boy with giggles and cheers. Suddenly pausing, the bespectacled boy jumped to his feet, only to slip on the fish lying on the floor. Three white cards were suddenly held up in the air, each held by the two girls and the small black creature.

"Ooh, a twenty eight…your score gets better every time, Watanuki…" A tall and statuesque woman commented. Draped in a long and elegant silk kimono, she walked over to the downed teenager, who currently was grasping his head and wincing from the crash. "Of course, handling our snack is an odd time to fall asleep, ne, Watanuki?" She purred as she leaned on the counter.

"Asleep?" he groaned, finally standing up and resting on the counter to hold his weight up. Opening his eyes, he yelped for a second time that day, as the woman's face was uncomfortably close to his own, causing him to stammer backwards to the kitchen sink.

"That hurts…" the woman teased, fainting backwards into the arms of the small blue and pink haired girls. Amusing as it was for her, Yuuko stood back up and walked casually towards the center counter, and began pouring her own saucer of sake. "You haven't been sleeping well, Watanuki?"

"Mokona want, haha!" the small black creature chirped and held up a saucer.

The teen was simply surprised now, not so much her question, as it was that Yuuko was doing something she could have easily just asked him to do…Watanuki shook his head at the thought, and walked towards the counter, picking up the floored fish on the way. By the time he flopped the snack-to-be onto the cutting board, Yuuko had already poured a second saucer for the small black creature standing next to it, happily gulping down the liquid once she had finished.

"Perhaps I could do something to help you…" Her face stern and serious, she leaned closer to the boy until her mouth was next to his ear. Slowly, her lips pursed into a shrewd smirk, "…for a price…" she whispered.

"Geez…" Watanuki groaned from irritation. A soft set of clicks caught his attention, which had apparently caught the others' as well. Without removing his white apron and bandana, he left his employer and Mokona to finish what was left of the liquor while the two girls happily followed him to the front.

"Irasshai!" "Irasshai!" the two girls greeted the bewildered young woman standing at the entrance. She looked around her surroundings, unsure if where she was or how she got there…it was a look that Watanuki was used to seeing on the faces of the store's 'customers'.

"I'm sorry," the woman predictably said, "I…don't know why I'm here…"

"_H__itsuzen…" _he said softly to himself, catching the woman's green eyed glance with his own. A strange feeling came over him when their eyes met…perhaps not so much as butterflies in one's stomach, as it was-

"Irasshaimase." A firm hand grasped his shoulder, causing Watanuki to squeal girlishly. "I see you've met my dear Watanuki…" Yuuko smiled and approached the young woman.

_What does she mean, 'hers'? _He couldn't help but think in reaction.

"Watanuki, please get us some drinks while I see to the customer…"

"Some drinks!" "Some drinks!" the two girls cheered and dragged the young man back to the kitchen. Before disappearing behind the screen, he saw the tall Yuuko making her usual speech, about wishes and the so called 'fair exchange' as payment for her services…

--

Perhaps he_ hadn't_ been sleeping well lately…it could very well be Yuuko's fault in the first place; running him haggard late at night, or sending him on nigh suicide missions for simple things such as alcohol…though the dreams themselves, or what remnants of memories he had of them really had nothing to do with his day to day life. _It doesn't matter right now anyways;_ he thought to himself, _if I don't hurry, Yuuko-san's just going to find another way to pester me…_

With a practiced hand, Watanuki managed the drinks, the food, as well as the utensils and plates that would be used. He had learned from experience that clients normally wouldn't be interested in the snacks, but it seemed that Yuuko and Mokana would gladly finish whatever was left over. Now piling all of the snacks onto one tray, he carefully balanced his way through the old fashioned style hallways, toward the back veranda where Yuuko normally took those unfortunate souls who want a wish. It was something about the nature of wish granting, as well as the weird snake-predator-like way she spoke.

"I heard that Watanuki." the woman in question mockingly hissed. She waited patiently for him to place the tea cups and plates onto the table, and then made a shooing motion with her hand.

"How did…?"

She chuckled slightly at the young man's sudden skittish behavior, before taking a sip of the hot tea in the small porcelain cup. "Telepathy is quite an easy thing to imitate, dear Watanuki…" Yuuko's hazel brown eyes leered up at him like a cat's, leaving the young woman client to watch the strange drama unfold in front of her. "And judging from your reaction…you were thinking something that you would've regretted saying out loud…ne?"

Watanuki was stuttering now; ridiculously loud and flailing about as if to distract the two women from the current situation. By some strange stroke of luck though, a 'ting' of a bell saved him—the chocolate for his dear Himawari-chan's birthday candy was ready to be molded. "I'll…I'll get that!" he chuckled nervously, and more than readily jumped away from the situation to duck back into the kitchen. The two girls excitedly followed him back inside, leaving Yuuko and the young woman alone at the table to their snacks and tea.

"So, Marisu-san…" Yuuko said in between sips of the hot beverage, "Have you made up your mind, as to what wish you'd like to make?"

Glancing downwards to her own cup sitting on the table, the young woman's eyes flittered in thought over the proposal. _A store that grants wishes…for a price…_ "Well, Yuuko-san…" the young woman started, "For the past few days…I haven't been sleeping very well…"

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**Some words from the Typewriter**

What's up, XxxHolic fans? Typewriterman here, posting my very first fic based on this awesome series! I have several things running through my head right now, so I'm not entirely sure if I want to delve into just a regular 'straight up' fanfic, or go ahead with my crossover idea...

If you have any opinions on the matter, I'd love to hear (read) it!

_...legalities..._

I am in no way affiliated with CLAMP other than being a fan of their work...well that, and I'm not a female manga-ka...heheh...


	2. Chapter 2

How many chapters are there in the manga so far?

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"Is that so?" Yuuko said in response to the woman's problem. She grasped a thin wafer in her nimble index finger and thumb, creating a vice to nibble on the snack. After sipping some more tea to cleanse her palate, Yuuko dabbed a napkin gently on her lips before glancing back to the young woman sitting in front of her. 

"Hai…sometimes during the day, I would feel so fatigued and fall asleep during my work. And there was this dream…" the young woman blushed slightly, not wanting to say further than that. She brushed her hand through her short purple-blue hair and then gently crossed her fingers neatly to be placed upon her lap. "I haven't gone to a doctor yet, but I can't help but feel that it won't really help me…"

"Then you've come to the right place, Marisu-san…" The young woman glanced at Yuuko, confused, but did not say anything in response. "Despite modern science's constant effort, all they can come up with are theories. Sleep has often been attributed with one's ability to see into other worlds, as dreams have been seen as by many people today—another world…"

"Oh." The woman smiled at Yuuko's explanation; "I've never thought of it that way…" she chuckled softly at the woman's insight, and glanced back down to her hands.

"Do you wear colored contacts, Marisu-san?" Yuuko suddenly asked. A bit surprised, she glanced up to the woman and was amazed at her intuition and powers of observation.

"H-hai…"

"I was just thinking…" Yuuko began, "that you would look so much cuter if you wore glasses with your natural brown eyes…"

--

**XxxHolic **

--

Watanuki hummed with glee as he poured the chocolate into the candy molds. _Surely, I'll be able to win Himawari-chan over with these chocolates!_ He squealed slightly as he poured the last of the chocolate into the final mold, its red and round shape filling near to the top, with its tonsil shaped apparatus being covered by the…

"Mokona!! Why would you do such a thing!?" Watanuki exclaimed as he shook the small black creature about. The floppy eared creature only mumbled happily as it ingested the chocolate it had tricked the teenager to pour into its mouth, and even smiled as it was shaken violently around—only making the chocolate taste better in _its _mind.

"Arigato, Yuuko-san…" the faint sounds of a woman's voice sauntered through the paper doors of the kitchen. Still grasping the small black Mokona in his death vice, Watanuki walked to the front door to witness the young customer leave before Yuuko closed the door.

"Yuuko-san, did you grant her wish already?" He asked. There was no visible smoke trail that exuded from her when she first walked in, nor was there the distinctive foul smell that reeked of malevolent actions or intent. He noticed a grin plastered on the woman's face, sending him nervous thoughts as to what the customer had to pay as a result. "You didn't give her a ring, did you?"

"I did no such thing…" Yuuko turned gracefully in her long and elegant kimono, and began walking in the direction of the veranda. "Oh good, you brought Mokona along," she noted, "come…let's have a small snack." The black creature easily wiggled out of Watanuki's loosened hold and hopped after the tall woman, squealing in delight with every bounce. "Watanuki since you're at the front door already, could you buy us some more drinks? Some beer would be nice…"

"How did this happen?" he said out loud to no one in particular. Despite his sharp sigh of aggravation, he put on his shoes and set of to run errands.

--

It was while on his way down the street when it happened. The sudden surge in movement, the quick succession of small hairs tickling the skin under his clothes, and the feel of a soft coiling around his neck; the yellow pointy head of the Kudakitsune popped into Watanuki's field of vision, giving his cheek a light tap. Without a word, Watanuki pet the yellow creature's head with his index finger, causing the small eyes to squint in pleasure.

Across the street from where he stood, the short haired woman exited a dollar shop with a plastic bag in hand, making a right down the sidewalk. Her purple-blue hair stuck out of the crowd easily, allowing Watanuki to follow her without much difficulty. Or so he thought. She disappeared into the crowd, causing him to scamper through the sea of people. To his advantage, the slender Kudakitsune wrapped around his neck tugged him along, almost making him lose his balance on several occasions. In the end though, without knowing it, Watanuki had been navigated to an apartment building, where through the glass doors he saw the young woman enter an elevator.

"Oh, Watanuki-kun!" A soft and beautiful girl's voice called to him. It couldn't be…it _had _to be…

"Himawari-chan?" He gasped, and lo and behold, the love of his life was standing right before him! "What a surprise, Himawari-chan! What are you doing here?" Watanuki was ecstatic. No, he was more than ecstatic. He was-

"Watanuki-kun…" the long haired girl walked slowly and closer to him. He voice was softer now, and if he didn't know any better, it sound…sultry… "I'm sorry for making you wait…Kimihiro-kun…"

"Who?" He suddenly tensed up as her hands gently touched his shoulders, and his eyes grew wide at his slow thought processing…how could he forget his own first name? "W-what do you mean by 'wait', Himawari-chan?" Her smile was dangerously out of character, very similar to Yuuko's mischievous grins.

"Kimihiro-kun…for my birthday…why don't I…" Watanuki was shaking from how tense his muscles were now; the girl's face was ridiculously close to his own, although it was tilted to the side so he only saw her right ear. His heart was pounding ridiculously hard over their proximity, and when he tried to gulp for air, he couldn't. In fact, he wasn't able to move his arms, as if an unseen force was pinning them.

"…daijoubu-ka?" , escaped from her mouth. It was still a girl's voice, but definitely not Himawari's. A bright light shone in his eye for a brief second, causing obvious discomfort to him. "He's not breathing…excuse me, do you know CPR?"

"Hai…" a male voice came out of her mouth, forcing Watanuki to start twitching in fear.

--

"Whaaaaagh!!!" Watanuki jolted up, or at least until he bonked his head against something hard, sending him back down to the ground. Through his wincing, he groaned to open up an eye, and looked up to see the worried face of an incredibly cute girl.

"Daijoubu-ka? Watanuki-san?" She asked him. Placing a gentle hand onto his forehead, she placed her other hand on hers, as if to compare temperature.

"W-what?" A light shone into his eye; apparently this girl carried a small flash light on her keychain.

"It doesn't look too bad," she mused, "but you'll need to take it easy for now…" she had a very gentle smile, and her auburn hair framed a very innocent face.

"Gomen, but…do I know you?" Watanuki asked.

"Oh! No, but he seemed to have." The girl chuckled slightly. Moving to one side, a tall teenager wearing a similar school uniform to his held an ice pack to his face. Despite the skewed view, Watanuki knew full well who he was.

"Doumeki?! What are you doing here?" Oblivious as to the reason the teen needed an ice pack; Watanuki winced when he touched his forehead. It seems that a bump had already begun to form.

"I was lucky that Doumeki-san came by when he did." The auburn haired girl started, "He helped me carry you here from where you were lying unconscious on the sidewalk…" She blushed suddenly, aware that Watanuki's position on the bench was close to her. "Oh um, my name's Yumi…Yumi Nagasato." She added. "Nice meeting you two…" and with that, she was gone.

Watanuki continued laying on what he surmised to be a bench, clutching his still aching head. Light seemed to have waned, meaning that he had to have been unconscious for quite a while. In fact, Yuuko might have his head for being so late with her drinks…which must have been hours ago! Still, one thing still irked him. "Doumeki…why are you bleeding?"

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**Some words from the Typewriter**

I doubt you guys see the pattern, but that's what makes it so much more fun as this story progresses...tee hee! Anyways, I'm having fun doing research on urban legends and old wives' tales...I even went back to some of my old psychology class notes for some info about sleep!

I wonder if the Yumekai is involved...?

**_...legalities... _**

I am in no way affiliated with CLAMP, other than being a fan_  
_


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